Aircraft airframes typically utilize a semi-monocoque (or stiffened shell) construction. In this type of construction, a skin is coupled to a series of stiffening members that define the overall shape of the airframe. In various positions on an airframe, a stiffening member may terminate, at which point the joint between the skin and the stiffening member is susceptible to failure due to the increased bending stresses within the region of the stiffening member's termination, such as due to flexing of the shell structure within that region.